RECIPE: Roast Herdwick Lamb with a Parmesan crust

Booths is the only supermarket to stock the Cumbrian speciality Herdwick Lamb.

Booths tell us more as well as sharing a delicious lamb recipe:

HERDWICK LAMB

Herdwick lamb has made its welcome return to Booths for its limited four-month season.

As seen on BBC Countryfile, the iconic breed, reared only in the Cumbrian hills, has enjoyed a retail renaissance due to Booths’ support.

Booths is the only supermarket to stock the seasonal delicacy and support Cumbrian hill farming.

Herdwick lamb has historic ties to the Lake District, but there are only 13,000 remaining upland holdings in England and 20 per cent of these farmers are expected to retire or stop farming in the next five years.

To improve the viability and profitability of upland farming, Booths work collaboratively with Herdwick farmers. They have devised a unique programme where farmer Ian Knight sources Herdwick from several local farms and supplies it to Booths for a guaranteed fair price.

Ian Knight says; “One of the worst things about farming is the uncertainty of the value of lamb. Working with Booths guarantees secure demand and a fair price for our Herdwick lamb.

“This enables farmers to plan ahead and invest in a sustainable future for their businesses.”

Booths is renowned for its commitment to seasonal produce and connections with rural industry and as the only supermarket to stock Herdwick, they give the hard-pressed hill farmers a premium for their stock.

Herdwick is popular amongst top chefs for its distinct flavour which develops due to a varied diet of wild grass and herbs.

Booths meat buyer David Simons explains, “Herdwick is certainly one of Booths’ hero products and there is growing demand for this meat, with its distinctive gamey flavour of the fells.”

Here is Booth’s recipe for roast lamb with a Parmesan crust:

INGREDIENTS

2kg leg of lamb

Pack of Parma ham

3 sprigs rosemary, broken up into small sprigs

2tbsp olive oil

100g fresh breadcrumbs

70g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

300ml white wine

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / fan 160°C / gas mark 4. With a sharp knife, make lots of incisions all over the lamb. Cut the Parma ham into strips and insert the strips into the incisions along with the rosemary sprigs using a knife.

2. Rub the olive oil all over the lamb, season with salt and ground black pepper then place into a large roasting tin. Mix the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan together in a bowl, then press all over the lamb until it’s completely coated, packing it down well with your hands.

3. Pour wine into the bottom of the tin, cover the lamb loosely with foil then carefully place into the middle of the preheated oven and roast for two-and-a-half hours. Top up with more wine or water during cooking so the bottom of the tin doesn’t dry out. Remove the foil and roast for a further 10 minutes until the crumb coating is crunchy and golden.

4. Leave the lamb to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Serve with roasted potatoes with red onion and garlic.